The Most Wonderful Time of Year
What does Christmas mean to you?
According to history.com--Christmas-A Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas evolved over two millennia into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian, pagan traditions into the festivities along the way. Today, Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts.
Ah, the birth of Christ that’s something more than a notion, it’s wonderful to think about the birth of a savior. Most of us know the story, the birth of Jesus and his earthly parents Joseph and Mary. Mary was due to deliver and there was no room for them in a posh hotel with towels and heat not even a shaggy shack made of wood with a tin pail for ice. Our savior was born in a stable with animals as his welcoming partying, hay for his head and a star filled sky for light. In that moment we all wondered “Mary did you know your baby boy was the Savior of the world?” The Savior of the world was born and there was no great pomp and circumstance for him.
At his birth there was a silence but off in the distance were some shepherds, they heard the good news from an angel the heavenly host all rejoiced over the savior being born. Can you imagine having such a silent entrance into the world no nurses, no doctors not even family members to gawk over you and make silly goo-goo and cooing sounds at you. (To read more about the birth of Jesus) It’s quite interesting that the Word never gave us the exact time when Christ was born it never said to celebrate his birth but rather to remember his death, burial and resurrection.
So mankind decided that he wanted to commemorate this glorious occasion on December 25th every year and called it Christmas, over the years Christmas has become a commercialized celebration of characters and flights of fantasy from all imaginations. Christmas is the season where many people go into debt, depression and despair. There’s also the gathering of family, friends and foes to present each other with gifts that we may like or not. Imagine that it’s your birthday and someone bought all your guests gifts.
Christmas, the most wonderful time of year. Please don’t misunderstand I love Christmas and all the magic that it brings, for years I struggled with the rush of the hustle & bustle of shopping, trees & lights, music and jolly ole St. Nick, elves & reindeer and let’s not forget about the yuletide and Frosty. I admit it is intoxicating and overwhelming hearing the laughter of your kids, seeing the smiles of family and friends as they gather for gifts and games. It’s quite easy to forget the season and its significance.
This thought isn’t to be a Scrooge it’s merely a thought that has plagued me over the years, I have pondered myself what does Christmas mean to me? As an adult with understanding it is the birth of a baby they called him Emmanuel, the Messiah and the now Risen King. I’m glad he was born and there’s a warmth in my heart to know the love God had for us to make the sacrifice to send his son, the love Jesus had to be the sacrifice, the love Joseph had for Mary to protect her during probably the most confusing days of his life and Mary to love God so much to say yes I will sacrifice my body to allow the savior to enter the earth. So Christmas, I celebrate with the revelation of knowing that a son was born and he was soon to be my Savior and Risen King.
So I ask again what does Christmas mean to you?
